Foodstuff transfer device

Abstract

To provide a food material transfer device capable of transferring a group of cut food materials to a container without disturbing the shape thereof.SOLUTION: The present invention is a food material transfer device for transporting a cut food material without disturbing its form, including a fixed frame section that surrounds the cut food material, and a receiving plate configured to be capable of advancing and retracting in a direction along a transport direction of the cut food material below the fixed frame section, wherein the cut food material is supported by advancing the receiving plate with respect to the fixed frame section while the cut food material is surrounded by the fixed frame section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food material transfer device that transfers cut food materials that are conveyed in a cut state to a container without disturbing the shape of the cut food materials. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when food ingredients are moved to a designated location such as a lunch box container in a food factory, a special belt is slid under the food ingredients to support the underside of the ingredients, allowing the ingredients to be transferred to the container without disturbing their shape.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a transfer device in which a transfer belt that supports an object to be transferred is wound around a support plate and which is equipped with an advancing / retracting mechanism that allows the support plate to advance and retreat relative to the object to be transferred. With this configuration, the transfer belt moves backward relative to the direction of travel of the support plate as the support plate advances and retreats, thereby reducing friction between the object to be transferred and the transfer belt, and enabling the object to be supported without applying any impact to the object to be transferred. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-972209 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the food material transfer device described in Patent Document 1, the belt slides under a group of food materials to support the group of food materials from below, so there is a risk that the arrangement of the group of food materials may be disrupted when the belt slides in. Also, because the group of food materials is only supported from below, if the food materials are cut, there is a risk that the arrangement of the cut food materials may be disrupted due to vibrations during transfer.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a transfer device that can transfer a group of cut ingredients to a lunch box without disturbing the shape of the ingredients. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The transfer device of the present invention is a food material transfer device for transporting cut food materials without disturbing their shape, and has a fixed frame portion that surrounds the cut food materials, and a receiving plate that is configured below the fixed frame portion and can move forward and backward in a direction along the transport direction of the cut food materials, and is configured to support the cut food materials by advancing the receiving plate relative to the fixed frame portion while the cut food materials are surrounded by the fixed frame portion.

[0008] Another aspect of the transfer device of the present invention has a front pressure section equipped with a pressure plate that presses the cut ingredients near the front end of the fixed frame section, and the pressure plate of the front pressure section is configured to be able to move forward and backward in a direction along the conveying direction of the cut ingredients.

[0009] Another aspect of the transfer device of the present invention is characterized in that an elastic pressing portion is installed between the fixed frame portion and the pressing portion, and the elastic pressing portion is configured to bulge toward the inside of the fixed frame portion, and the amount of bulging toward the inside of the fixed frame portion changes in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the pressing portion in a direction along the conveying direction of the cut ingredients, and the amount of bulging of the elastic pressing portion increases in accordance with the backward movement of the pressing portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the transfer device of the present invention, the food material transfer device for transporting cut ingredients without disturbing their shape has a fixed frame portion that surrounds the cut ingredients, and a receiving plate that is configured below the fixed frame portion and can move back and forth in the direction along the transport direction of the cut ingredients, and is configured to support the cut ingredients by advancing the receiving plate relative to the fixed frame portion while the cut ingredients are surrounded by the fixed frame portion, so that the cut ingredients can be supported without changing their shape, and the risk of the cut ingredients being disturbed during transport is reduced as much as possible, allowing them to be transported to lunch containers.

[0011] Another aspect of the transfer device according to the present invention has a front pressure section equipped with a pressure plate that presses the cut ingredients near the front end within the fixed frame section, and the pressure plate of the front pressure section is configured to be able to move back and forth in the direction along the conveying direction of the cut ingredients, so that the cut ingredients to be conveyed are sandwiched between the fixed frame section and the pressure plate, and can be supported without deforming the shape of the cut ingredients, and can be conveyed to the lunch container in a manner that minimizes the risk of the cut ingredients becoming distorted during conveyance.

[0012] In another aspect of the transfer device according to the present invention, an elastic pressing portion is installed between the fixed frame portion and the pressing portion, and the elastic pressing portion is arranged in a manner that bulges toward the inside of the fixed frame portion, so that the amount of bulging toward the inside of the fixed frame portion changes in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the pressing portion in the direction along the conveying direction of the cut ingredients, and the amount of bulging of the elastic pressing portion toward the inside of the fixed frame portion increases in response to the backward movement of the pressing portion.As a result, the cut ingredients are surrounded by the fixed frame portion, the pressing plate, and the elastic pressing portion, and can be supported without deforming the shape of the cut ingredients, and can be transported to the lunch container in a manner that minimizes the risk of the cut ingredients becoming distorted during transport. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a support hand unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a side view showing a support hand unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a support hand unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a support hand unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the procedure for transferring ingredients using a transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view showing the ingredients surrounded by the ingredient fixing portion, and (b) is a plan view showing the ingredients fixing portion in contact with the ingredients. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the procedure for transferring food materials using a transfer device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view showing the state in which the food materials are pressed and fixed by the members constituting the food material fixing portion, and (b) is a plan view showing the manner in which the food materials are lifted by the food material fixing portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention relates to a cut food material transfer device that moves a group of ingredients that are conveyed in a cut form to a specific position in a lunch box, and by devising a configuration for the ingredient fixing part that comes into contact with the ingredients, the group of ingredients can be placed in the lunch box without disrupting the arrangement. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The overall configuration of a food material transfer device M according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of the food material transfer device M for a clear overview. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the support hand unit 1 of the food material transfer device M, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 5 is a front view thereof. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion disassembled without the support hand unit 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the food material transfer device M. (a) is a plan view showing the state in which the front, rear, left, and right sides of a cut food material F are surrounded by the food material support unit 2. (b) is a plan view showing the state in which the food material support unit 2 has been moved to a transfer reference position for transferring the cut food material F while the front, rear, left, and right sides of the cut food material F are surrounded by the food material support unit 2. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the food material transfer device M. (a) is a plan view showing the state in which the food material support unit 2 is in contact with the front, rear, left, and right sides of the cut food material F, and (b) is a plan view showing the state in which the underside of the cut food material F is supported and ready to be moved. In describing this embodiment, the direction of the arrow extending from the front left to the rear right in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the front-to-rear direction, and the direction in which cut food ingredients F are conveyed by the belt conveyor T will be referred to as the front side. Also, the direction of the arrow extending from the rear left to the front right in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the left-to-right direction. That is, in this embodiment, the front-to-rear direction refers to the direction along the conveyance direction of the cut food ingredients F, and the left-to-right direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the direction along the conveyance direction of the cut food ingredients F. Also, in describing this embodiment, the inside and outside refer to the inside and outside of the fixed frame portion 21 of the food ingredient support portion 2 of the food ingredient transfer device M.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the food material transfer device M is a device that supports cut food materials F transported on a belt conveyor T and transfers them to a designated part of a lunch container.It has a moving arm section A that moves the supported cut food materials F to a designated part of the lunch container, and a support hand section 1 that is connected to the tip of the moving arm section A and supports the cut food materials F while maintaining their group shape.

[0017] The moving arm unit A is a so-called horizontal articulated robot (SCARA robot) that has two drive parts and moves the cut ingredients F to a predetermined part of the lunch container while maintaining a horizontal position. The tip of this moving arm unit A has a support rod A1 that is configured to be able to move up and down and rotate around an axis C1 while maintaining a horizontal position, and the support hand unit 1 is connected to the lower end of the support rod A1. In other words, the support hand unit 1 is configured to be able to move up and down and rotate horizontally around the axis C1 by means of the moving arm unit A and the support rod A1.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the support hand unit 1 has a food material support unit 2 that supports cut food material F, and a drive unit 3 that is provided in front of the food material support unit 2.

[0019] The food material support section 2 has a support plate 20 connected to the lower end of the support rod A1 and extending toward the rear, a fixed frame section 21 connected and supported to the rear end of the support plate 20, a front pressing section 22 provided inside the fixed frame section 21 and pressing the front side of the cut food material F, an elastic pressing section 23 installed between the fixed frame section 21 and the front pressing section 22, and a receiving plate 24 provided below the fixed frame section 21 and movable back and forth in the front-to-back direction.

[0020] The support plate 20 has a horizontal surface portion 20a connected to the support rod A1, a rear vertical surface portion 20b connected to the rear end of the horizontal surface portion 20a, and a front vertical surface portion 20c connected to the front end of the horizontal surface portion 20a. The horizontal surface portion 20a, the rear vertical surface portion 20b, and the front vertical surface portion 20c form a generally U-shaped shape with an open bottom in side view (see FIG. 3). The support plate 20 is connected near the front end of the horizontal surface portion 20a to the support rod A1, the rear vertical surface portion 20b is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the front side surface portion 21a of the fixed frame portion 21, and the front vertical surface portion 20c is connected to the drive unit 3, which will be described later. That is, the support plate 20 constituting the food support unit 2 supports the fixed frame unit 21 on the support rod A1 with the horizontal surface 20a and the rear vertical surface 20b, and supports the drive unit 3 on the support rod A1 with the horizontal surface 20a and the front vertical surface 20c. In this way, the food support unit 2 and the drive unit 3 are supported by the support rod A1.

[0021] 1 and 2, fixed frame 21 has a flat front side surface 21a, left and right side surface portions 21b and 21c, and a rear side surface portion 21d, and by connecting the ends of each surface portion, it is formed into a rectangular tube shape with a substantially rectangular hollow portion inside in a plan view. All of the surface portions that make up fixed frame 21 are made of the same metal material.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 4, the front side surface portion 21a has holes 21g and 21h formed in the front-rear direction near the upper end at a position that divides the longitudinal direction into approximately three equal parts. A support rod 22a, which will be described later, is inserted into each of the holes 21g and 21h. The front side surface portion 21a also has fixing holes 21j and 21k between the holes 21g and 21h, each having an axis C3 in approximately the same horizontal plane as the axis C2 of each of the holes 21g and 21h. The front side surface portion 21a is fixed to the support plate 20 by inserting fixing means such as bolts into the fixing holes 21j and 21k and screwing the tips of the fixing means into the rear vertical surface portion 20b.

[0023] The left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c are generally flat plate-shaped portions that bend rearward by approximately 90 degrees from the longitudinal (left-right) end of the front side surface portion 21a and extend rearward. The left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c are arranged parallel to each other and have approximately the same overall length. The left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c have sliding plates 21e, 21f connected to their outer peripheries, respectively. The sliding plates 21e, 21f are generally flat plate-shaped with their longitudinal direction extending along the front-to-rear direction and are approximately twice as thick as the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c. As shown in FIG. 5, when viewed from the front of the fixed frame portion 21, the upper ends of the sliding plates 21e, 21f are located slightly above the vertical center of the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c, and the lower ends protrude downward from the lower ends of the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c. The slide plates 21e and 21f are made of resin or the like.

[0024] A rear side surface portion 21d is bridged between the rear ends of the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c. The rear side surface portion 21d has a thickness direction along the front-rear direction and a longitudinal direction along the left-right direction, and is formed into a substantially rectangular shape in a front-to-rear view. The rear side surface portion 21d has an elastic member fixing portion 21m for fixing the elastic pressing portion 23 near the connecting portion between the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c. In this embodiment, the elastic member fixing portion 21m is provided near the connecting portion between the left side surface portion 21c and the rear side surface portion 21d. A transport reference position P is provided on the rear side surface portion 21d at the end opposite in the longitudinal direction to the elastic member fixing portion 21m, i.e., at the connecting portion between the rear side surface portion 21d and the right side surface portion 21b. In other words, the transport reference position P is provided at one end of the rear side surface portion 21d, and the elastic member fixing portion 21m is provided at the other end. Here, the transport reference position P refers to a reference position for positioning the cut ingredients F supported by the support hand unit 1 when placing them in a lunch container. In other words, the cut ingredients F are placed in the lunch container using the transport reference position P as a reference.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the front pressing portion 22 includes support rods 22a, 22a inserted into the inside of the fixed frame portion 21 through holes 21g, 21h formed in the front side surface portion 21a, a pressing plate 22b installed between the rear ends of the left and right support rods 22a, 22a, and a synchronization plate 22c installed between the front ends of the support rods 22a, 22a to synchronize the forward and backward movement of each support rod 22a, 22a in the front-to-rear direction.

[0026] Support rod 22a is formed in a substantially circular shape in cross section, and its overall length is approximately half the overall length of left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c. Support rod 22a has a front end (base end) provided outside fixed frame portion 21 and a rear end (tip end) provided inside fixed frame portion 21. Support rods 22a, 22a have their rear ends connected to pressure plate 22b and their front ends connected to synchronization plate 22c.

[0027] The pressure plate 22b is provided inside the fixed frame 21 and substantially parallel to the rear side surface 21d and the front side surface 21a. The pressure plate 22b is a flat metal plate with the longitudinal direction in the left-right direction, and its overall length is slightly shorter than the overall length of the front and rear side surface portions 21a, 21d. The pressure plate 22b is connected to the rear end portions (tips) of the support rods 22a, 22a, and is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the support rods 22a, 22a.

[0028] 4, the synchronization plate 22c is a flat metal plate with its longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction and disposed substantially parallel to the front side surface portion 21a on the outside of the fixed frame portion 21. The synchronization plate 22c is formed to be slightly longer than the distance between the left and right support rods 22a, and has rod engagement holes 22d, 22d provided near the left and right ends, respectively, in the longitudinal direction, and a rod engagement recess 22e provided in approximately the center in the longitudinal direction.

[0029] The rod engagement recess 22e is provided at the upper end of the synchronization plate 22c and is formed in a semicircular shape with an open top. A synchronization plate engagement portion 30d of the drive unit 3, which will be described later, is connected to the rod engagement recess 22e, and the synchronization plate 22c is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the synchronization plate engagement portion 30d in the front-rear direction.

[0030] The elastic pressing portion 23 is fixed to the left side surface of the pressing plate 22b via a fixing means such as a pin. The elastic pressing portion 23 is made of a material that has a certain degree of strength, flexibility, and elasticity, such as urethane rubber or synthetic rubber. One end of the elastic pressing portion 23 is connected to the pressing plate 22b, and the other end is connected to an elastic member fixing portion 21m provided on the rear side surface portion 21d near the left side surface portion 21c of the fixed frame portion 21.

[0031] The elastic pressing portion 23 is formed so that its overall length is longer than the overall length (front-to-rear length) of the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c of the fixed frame portion 21, and is provided so as to bulge in an arc shape toward the inside of the fixed frame portion 21 when the front pressing portion 22 is advanced. That is, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the elastic pressing portion 23 is provided inside the fixed frame portion 21 so that a portion near the approximate center in the front-to-rear direction bulges from the left side surface portion 21c toward the right side surface portion 21b. Furthermore, since the longitudinal ends of the elastic pressing portion 23 are fixed by the elastic member fixing portion 21m and the pressing plate 22b, the amount of bulging from the left side surface portion 21c to the right side surface portion 21b increases when the pressing plate 22b of the front pressing portion 22 retracts, that is, when the pressing plate 22b moves in a direction approaching the rear side surface portion 21d. When the elastic pressing portion 23 comes into contact with the cut food material F, it can transform into a shape that conforms to the side surface of the cut food material F due to its elasticity.

[0032] In this embodiment, elastic pressing portion 23 has one end connected to the vicinity of the left end of pressing plate 22b and the other end connected to elastic member fixing portion 21m provided near the connecting portion of left side surface portion 21c and rear side surface portion 21d, and is installed in a form that bulges in an arc shape toward the center of fixed frame portion 21 in a plan view, but the installation form of elastic pressing portion 23 is not limited to this. Elastic pressing portion 23 may be configured in any way as long as it can transform so that it can press cut food material F in a direction perpendicular to the cut cross section of cut food material F when pressing plate 22b of front pressing portion 22 retracts toward rear side surface portion 21d.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4 , the receiving plate 24 is formed in a generally rectangular flat plate shape in a plan view. The width of the receiving plate 24 in the left-right direction is generally the same as or slightly longer than that of the fixed frame portion 21, and the width in the front-rear direction is longer than that of the fixed frame portion 21. The receiving plate 24 has a fixing hole in the approximate center of the front end portion. The receiving plate 24 can move back and forth in the front-rear direction by engaging and fixing a piston rod 31b (described later) in the hole. In other words, the receiving plate 24 is connected to a drive unit different from the front pressing portion 22, and can move in the front-rear direction independently of the front pressing portion 22.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 3, the drive unit 3 has a pressure plate operating unit 30 provided below the support rod A1, and a support plate operating unit 31 provided below and in front of the pressure plate operating unit 30. The pressure plate operating unit 30 and the support plate operating unit 31 are configured as air cylinders each consisting of cylinders 30a, 31a and piston rods 30b, 31b. Note that the pressure plate operating unit 30 and the support plate operating unit 31 may be configured as any type of operating unit, such as an electric cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, as long as they are configured to be able to move forward and backward in the front-to-rear direction.

[0035] The pressure plate operating unit 30 is supported by a front vertical surface 20c provided at the front end of the support plate 20. The pressure plate operating unit 30 is composed of a cylinder 30a and a piston rod 30b, and the rear end of the cylinder 30a is connected to the front vertical surface 20c. The piston rod 30b has a rod main body 30c configured to be able to advance and retreat in the front-to-rear direction from the rear end of the cylinder 30a, a synchronization plate engaging unit 30d connected to the rear end (tip end) of the rod main body 30c, and a pressure detecting unit that detects fluctuations in pressure applied to the rod main body 30c and controls the advance and retreat movement of the rod main body 30c.

[0036] The rod main body 30c is a cylindrical member formed in a substantially circular shape in cross section, with its overall length approximately half the longitudinal length of the fixed frame 21. In other words, by forming the range in which the rod main body 30c can move back and forth to approximately half the longitudinal length of the left and right side surfaces 21b, 21c that make up the fixed frame 21, the range in which the synchronization plate 22c engaged with the tip of the rod main body 30c can move back and forth is approximately half the longitudinal length of the fixed frame 21, preventing the cut food material F from being excessively pressed between the rear side surface 21d of the fixed frame 21 and the pressure plate 22b. In addition, the pressure plate operating unit 30 detects changes in pressure applied to the rod main body 30c with a pressure detector, and controls the rod main body 30c to stop moving backward when the pressure detector detects a change in pressure applied to the rod main body 30c as the pressure plate 22b comes into contact with the cut food material F. That is, the pressure detection section controls the advancement and retreat of the rod body 30c, preventing the cut food material F from being pressed excessively by the pressing plate 22b.

[0037] The support plate actuation portion 31 is supported and fixed to a support body 20d that extends forward from the support plate 20 in a generally crank-like shape in a side view. The support plate actuation portion 31 is composed of a cylinder 31a and a piston rod 31b, and the rear end portion of the cylinder 31a is supported by the support body 20d. The piston rod 31b has a rod main body 31c that is configured to be able to advance and retreat in the front-rear direction from the front end portion of the cylinder 31a, and a support plate fixing portion 31d that is connected to the rear end portion (tip portion) of the rod main body 31c.

[0038] The rod body 31c is a cylindrical member formed into a substantially circular shape in cross section, and its overall length is formed to be substantially the same as the front-to-rear length of the fixed frame 21. In other words, by forming the range in which the rod body 31c can move back and forth to be substantially the same as the front-to-rear length of the fixed frame 21, the support plate fixing portion 31d engaged with the tip of the rod body 31c is configured to block the entire lower part of the fixed frame 21 when the rod body 31c is extended. The receiving plate 24 moves back and forth along the undersides of the sliding plates 21e and 21f connected to the left and right side portions 21b and 21c of the fixed frame 21. There is a small gap between the sliding plates 21e and 21f and the receiving plate 24, and the receiving plate 24 moves back and forth without contacting the sliding plates 21e and 21f.

[0039] The food material transfer device M is configured as described above, and is configured so that the cut food material F is surrounded by the fixed frame portion 21 and scooped up by the receiving plate 24.When the receiving plate 24 comes into contact with the cut food material F, the movement of the cut food material F is restricted by the rear side portion 21d and the left and right side portions 21b, 21c of the fixed frame portion 21, preventing the cut food material F from shaking and allowing the cut food material F to be supported by the receiving plate 24 without disturbing its shape.

[0040] Furthermore, by providing an elastic pressing portion 23 between the front pressing portion 22 and the rear side surface portion 21d on the inside of the fixed frame portion 21 so that its central portion in the front-to-rear direction bulges inward of the fixed frame portion 21, when the pressing plate 22b is retracted, the fixed frame portion 21, the front pressing portion 22, and the elastic pressing portion 23 can surround the cut food material F on all four sides, thereby restricting the movement of the cut food material F within the fixed frame portion 21. With this configuration that surrounds the cut food material F on all four sides, the receiving plate 24 can scoop up the cut food material F and transfer it to a container without disturbing the shape of the cut food material F.

[0041] Furthermore, the cut ingredients F are pressed from a direction perpendicular to the cutting direction (cutting line L) of the cut ingredients F by the elastic pressing portion 23, and the elastic pressing portion 23 deforms to a shape that conforms to the side peripheral surface of the cut ingredients F to press the cut ingredients F, so that the cut ingredients F can be stored in the container without disrupting the arrangement of the cut ingredients F.

[0042] The process by which cut ingredients F transported to the front by the belt conveyor T are transferred to a container without losing their shape using the ingredient transfer device M configured in this manner will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

[0043] First, cut food material F cut to a predetermined size by a food material cutting device is transported in a predetermined shape by a belt conveyor T to a predetermined location.

[0044] The support hand unit 1 is moved using the moving arm unit A to a position where the fixed frame unit 21 can surround the cut food material F that has been transported to a predetermined location. When the fixed frame unit 21 has been moved to a position where it can surround the cut food material F in a plan view, the support rod A1 is lowered to surround the cut food material F with the fixed frame unit 21 (see FIG. 6(a)). At this time, the cut food material F is not in contact with any of the surfaces that make up the fixed frame unit 21: the front side surface 21a, the left and right side surfaces 21b and 21c, and the rear side surface 21d.

[0045] 6(b), after the fixed frame 21 surrounds the cut food material F, the movable arm A moves the fixed frame 21 in either the left or right direction to move the transport reference position P of the fixed frame 21 to a predetermined position. At this time, of the left and right side surface portions 21b, 21c, the side surface portion that constitutes the transport reference position P of the fixed frame 21 (in this embodiment, the right side surface portion 21b) presses against the side surface of the cut food material F, thereby moving the left-right position of the cut food material F during transport to a specified position.

[0046] 7(a), by moving the front pressing portion 22 provided inside the fixed frame portion 21 backward in the conveyance direction of the cut food material F, the front pressing portion 22 presses the front side of the cut food material F, causing the cut food material F to move backward and contact the rear side of the cut food material F with the inside of the rear side surface portion 21d of the fixed frame portion 21. At this time, when the rear side of the cut food material F contacts the rear side surface portion 21d, the front pressing portion 22 receives a stronger reaction force than if the cut food material F were moved backward alone. This reaction force is transmitted to the pressing plate operating portion 30 via the synchronizing plate 22c, and a pressure detection portion of the pressing plate operating portion 30 detects a change in pressure applied to the rod main body 30c, causing the rearward movement of the front pressing portion 22 to stop.

[0047] Then, as the front pressing portion 22 moves backward, the elastic pressing portion 23, which is installed between the front pressing portion 22 and the rear side surface portion 21d, bulges inward of the fixed frame portion 21 and presses the side edge of the cut food material F. At this time, since the elastic pressing portion 23 is made of a flexible material, it deforms along the side surface of the cut food material F and presses the cut food material F against the inner surface of the right side surface portion 21b of the fixed frame portion 21 to an extent that the cut food material F is not crushed. The cut food material F is pressed by the elastic pressing portion 23 in a direction perpendicular to the cut cross section.

[0048] In this way, the cut food material F is fixed within the fixed frame 21 by the fixed frame 21, the front pressing portion 22, and the elastic pressing portion 23 so as not to move forward, backward, left, or right, with reference to the transport reference position P provided on the fixed frame 21, and moves back along the receiving plate 24, where it is supported by the receiving plate 24 (see FIG. 7(b)). In this way, the cut food material F is supported by the receiving plate 24 while being fixed within the fixed frame 21 by the fixed frame 21, the front pressing portion 22, and the elastic pressing portion 23 so as not to move forward, backward, left, or right, and therefore the shape of the cut food material F is not disturbed when supported by the receiving plate 24, and it can be transported to a container without being disturbed during transport either.

[0049] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the above description is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Therefore, even if the embodiment is different from the above embodiment, various modifications can be made depending on the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Support hand part 2 Food support part 3 Drive unit 20 Support plate 21 Fixed frame 22 Front pressure part 23 Elastic pressing part 24 Receiving plate 30 Pressure plate operating part 31 Support plate operating part A Moving arm A1 Support rod F-cut ingredients M Transfer device P Transfer reference position T-belt conveyor

Claims

1. A food material transfer device for transporting cut food materials without disturbing their shape, A fixed frame portion surrounding the cut ingredients; A receiving plate configured to be movable in a direction along the conveying direction of the cut ingredients below the fixed frame portion, A food material transfer device characterized in that the cut food material is supported by advancing the receiving plate relative to the fixed frame portion while the cut food material is surrounded by the fixed frame portion.

2. The food material transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a front pressing section equipped with a pressing plate that presses the cut food material near the front end of the fixed frame section, and the pressing plate of the front pressing section is configured to be able to move forward and backward in a direction along the conveying direction of the cut food material.

3. an elastic pressing portion is provided between the fixed frame portion and the pressing portion; the elastic pressing portion is provided in a manner that bulges toward the inside of the fixing frame portion, The food material transfer device of claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the amount of inward expansion of the fixed frame portion changes in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the pressing portion in the direction along the conveying direction of the cut food material, and the amount of expansion of the elastic pressing portion increases in accordance with the backward movement of the pressing portion.

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